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Future Commerce

Future Commerce

By: Phillip Jackson Brian Lange
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Future Commerce is the culture magazine for Commerce. Hosts Phillip Jackson and Brian Lange help brand and digital marketing leaders see around the next corner by exploring the intersection of Culture and Commerce. Trusted by the world's most recognizable brands to deliver the most insightful, entertaining, and informative weekly podcasts, Future Commerce is the leading new media brand for eCommerce merchants and retail operators. Each week, we explore the cultural implications of what it means to sell or buy products and how commerce and media impact the culture and the world around us, through unique insights and engaging interviews with a dash of futurism. Weekly essays, full transcripts, and quarterly market research reports are available at https://www.futurecommerce.com/plus©2026 Future Commerce Economics Leadership Management & Leadership Marketing Marketing & Sales Philosophy Social Sciences
Episodes
  • *TEASER* The Oreogate Lady Is NOT Real!

    *TEASER* The Oreogate Lady Is NOT Real!
    Sep 10 2026

    Can anyone tell the staged from the real anymore? On today’s After Dark: We’re growing increasingly certain that everything is fake now. Amazon drones delivering your package to the deep end of your backyard pool? Curiosity bait. A bunch of Kindergarten moms actually keeping up in a group thread? A Suno commercial. That behind-the-scenes footage? AI-generated – but you watched it, didn’t you? PLUS: The minds of Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim have converged to craft what’s anticipated to be one of the most compelling documentaries we’ve ever seen.

    This episode is exclusive to Future Commerce Plus members. Subscribe to listen at www.futurecommerce.com/plus.


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    2 mins
  • Cartographies of Meaning

    Cartographies of Meaning
    Sep 11 2026

    Nikita Walia and Elliot Vredenburg of U.N.N.A.M.E.D. Studios took to the VISIONS stage at MoMA last year to enlighten a room of retail executives and brand marketers about the realities of worldbuilding. Their theory: a brand’s final form is decided by the public—and the strategist's job is to navigate that story, not control it. And they use Mercator, Buckminster Fuller, Guy Debord, free public Wi-Fi, and an acne sticker to back up their claims.

    Mapping Meaning Isn’t About Being RightKey takeaways:
    • Branding isn't worldbuilding because worldbuilding just imposes another set of rules
    • A three-hundred-page brand book is obsolete the day it ships, and rebrands every five to ten years are theater for stakeholders
    • The public decides a brand's final form, not the guidelines deck
    • Regenerative brands are always rebranding
    • [00:00:25] "Counter to what you've heard today, branding is not, in fact, worldbuilding." — Nikita Walia
    • [00:04:34] "This is sameness being sold to us as a form of consistency." — Nikita Walia
    • [00:15:45] "It's not about being right. It's about being useful, and useful in motion." — Elliot Vredenburg
    • [00:17:09] "A regenerative brand doesn't need to rebrand every five to ten years because it's always rebranding." — Elliot Vredenburg
    In-Show Mentions:
    • The Mercator projection (1569) and Buckminster Fuller's Dymaxion Map
    • Superstudio, The Continuous Monument
    • Guy Debord and psychogeography
    • LinkNYC
    • Burberry, Daniel Lee, Demna's Balenciaga, Pierpaolo Piccioli
    • Starface
    Associated Links:
    • Read Alicia Esposito's companion essay, The New Meaning of Brand Building: Cartographies of Meaning
    • Watch the original session at VISIONS Summit: Cartographies of Meaning
    • Hear Dami Lee's VISIONS session, The Stories Behind Our Spaces
    • Listen to Building Culturally Intelligent Brands with Dr. Anastasia Kārkliņa Gabriel
    • Revisit The Anti-Blands, Existential Brands, and the New Dadaism
    • Read Surface Culture: When Brands Mistake Wallpaper for Authenticity
    • Check out Future Commerce on YouTube
    • Check out Future Commerce Plus for exclusive content and save on merch and print
    • Subscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce world
    • Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce

    Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!



    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    22 mins
  • Retail Media In Your Ears: Inside Dollar General's 21,000-Store Audio Network

    Retail Media In Your Ears: Inside Dollar General's 21,000-Store Audio Network
    Sep 2 2026
    The next big advertising opportunity is here. The audio systems in Dollar General’s 21,000 stores connect shoppers with advertisers and drive loyalty. Austin Leonard, VP and GM of Dollar General Media Network (DGMN), sits down with Phillip and Alicia to explain why the retailer has doubled down on audio and the role that non-endemic advertisers play in his long-term vision. “The Cocktail Party Effect” Key takeaways: In-store audio is getting programmatic optimization so DG’s sponsors can serve ads at the best time of day and in the best-suited markets. Non-endemic only works in-store if it clears the near-endemic bar: shopper relevance.Dollar General’s 21,000 stores across suburban, urban, and rural markets are often the only stores in town, making its ad inventory a community utility. The Yellow Glasses Project pairs brand partners with the DG Literacy Foundation via iHeartRadio.[00:18:10] Phillip: "This is the power that I think audio has that nothing else has; it can catch your attention even when you're focused on something else."[00:32:40] Austin Leonard: "I call that the last mile of eCommerce for the last mile of America."[00:36:15] Austin Leonard: "The next era of retail media is really about accountability and also telling our story for our unique audiences." In-Show Mentions: Find Austin Leonard on LinkedInMore about DG Media NetworkYellow Glasses ProjectiHeartMedia, DG Literacy Foundation partnership featuring Bobby BonesListen to Future Commerce’s episode with Collin Colburn of IAB Associated Links: More retail media coverage on Future Commerce retail media hubRead: Insiders 237: “Vertical Dramas” and the New Era of Commerce MediaListen: LIVE from Shoptalk Spring: Retail Media Confessions, Hype Cycles, and the Creator ReckoningRead: Ad Infinitum: Retail Media is The Final Boss VISIONS Summit at MoMA, New York City: Join us on November 3Watch: Future Commerce on YouTubeJoin Future Commerce Plus for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future Commerce Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    40 mins
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